That's changing for the SSMF's fifth outing, kicking off Aug. 16-17 with an onslaught of West Hollywood club shows at the Roxy, Whiskey, Viper Room and elsewhere, and culminating with a daylong festival on Aug. 18, capped by sets from Marilyn Manson, the Offspring, Steve Aoki, Bad Religion and more.

This year's Sunset Strip icon of choice is, with good reason, the Doors. Subsequently, many of the above acts and possibly others -- including "very special guest" Black Label Society, Far East Movement, De La Soul, Dead Sara, Das Racist and more -- are expected to perform songs from the lastingly influential Jim Morrison & Co. catalog.

"The Doors are honored to be celebrated by the magical, legendary Strip,” Ray Manzarek said in a statement earlier Wednesday. “A great leap forward from the Summer Of Love to today. What a great time we're going to have! The Sunset Strip. Live bands, loud music, Rock and Roll. It's the '60s all over again, and everyone is welcome. Dancing in the streets. Joy, Love, Peace. And we want to get it all together just One - More - TIME! Could this be the beginning of the new Golden Age? Let it be so."

How it is that LMFAO has risen to Staples Center headliner status so rapidly isn't entirely hard to understand. When your latest assortment of gleefully vapid dance smashes boasts two chart-toppers, "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It," plus you've been spotted alongside Madonna during her Super Bowl halftime spectacular, well, you've earned an arena-sized blowout as much as the next pop tart.

Not that it's any less a sign that maybe the Mayans were right about 2012.

In any case, the homecoming celebration is sure to be massive when the L.A. duo of Redfoo and SkyBlu bring their Sorry for Party Rocking Tour to Staples on June 5.

They'll be supported by their own Party Rock Crew, along with a slew of opening acts, including breakout electro-pop act Far East Movement and dance team the Quest Crew (Season 3 champs of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew) as well as DJ Sidney Samson and two newcomers, Eva Simons and Natalia Kills.

Tickets, $29.50-$69.50, go on sale Saturday, March 3, at 10 a.m. Pre-sales for American Express card-holders runs from Wednesday at 10 a.m. until Friday at 10 p.m. Live Nation pre-sales start Thursday at 10 a.m.

Clamor for his Oct. 20 show at Staples Center has grown so big that Chris Brown has decided to add an encore performance -- and O.C. scored it.

The R&B star, who is expected to rapidly follow up his first chart-topping album (F.A.M.E.) with a counterpart set (Fortune) in early 2012, will play Nov. 5 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. That's pretty late in the year for ye olde Irvine Meadows. Wonder if it will rain.

October 2nd, 2011, 5:45 pm by GEORGE A. PAUL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Sunset Boulevard is always crazy during the weekend, but Saturday was more chaotic than usual. As hundreds of Erasure fans waited to get inside a sold-out Hollywood Palladium show, an even larger crowd circled surrounding streets for a walk in support of Leukemia research. The scene was also notable for its contrasts: on one side were families holding illuminated red balloons and cheering; on the other were multiple gay and lesbian couples, many colorfully coiffed and attired.

More than four years have passed since Erasure last played Southern California. During that time, music mastermind (and Depeche Mode founder) Vince Clarke reunited with Alison Moyet for a well-received 2008 Yaz tour and live album. Meanwhile, singer Andy Bell put out his second solo release, the progressive house-leaning Non-Stop, and enjoyed a minor club hit.

Tomorrow's World, Erasure's first studio effort in four years, is due from Mute Records on Oct. 11, and it finds the veteran synth-pop duo modernizing its sound, with younger fellow Englishman Frankmusik (aka Vincent Frank) handling the production reins. Most of the nine tracks are upbeat and gravitate toward nightclubs, with less immediate pop hooks.

Inside the famed L.A. venue, the stage set wasn't elaborate as on previous tours. This one comprised three silver metal gargoyles (one hid Clarke's synth/computer setup), two large leaning metal cages (perhaps representing burned-out building shells) and a backdrop that looked like a flower-shaped wind turbine. Clad in matching red sparkling dress jackets, Clarke and Bell (the singer initially sported a Trojan warrior-type hat, pictured) plus two female backing vocalists launched the 90-minute set with a rarity: the billowy, slow-build ballad “Sono Luminus,” off 1995's self-titled CD.

Next came the luxurious “Always,” and it went down a storm. Before “When I Start to Break It All Down” -- the first of five new songs that received polite reactions from the crowd -- Bell said some of the recording happened nearby, where Frankmusik's studio is based. “Blue Savannah,” with its alluring piano flourishes and frolicsome synths, found Bell merrily sashaying across the stage (he'd repeat it later). The singer's deep sonorous timbre, plus the audience's participation, helped “Drama” live up to its title. “You've Got to Save Me Right Now,” on the other hand, built to a frenzied fervor yet still seemed disjointed.

Lil Wayne's I Am Still Music Tour just rolled back into Orange County, kicking off the weekend with a show Friday night at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. This time, though Rick Ross was still in the opening-act mix, Keri Hilson took the place of Nicki Minaj (on hand when Weezy headlined Honda Center in April) and Far East Movement was added to the roster.

Seeing as we just covered the tour four months ago in Anaheim, we opted not to review this time ... but we didn't want to miss out on a chance to get some pictures of Wayne, Hilson, Ross and plenty of fans. Click here or on the photo to see plenty more.

And a reminder: Next week's Kings of Leon show, slated for Sept. 8, has been canceled in the wake of exhaustion and in-fighting. Refunds, if you still haven't gotten one, are available at point of purchase.

It was only a little more than two months ago that rap mega-star Lil Wayne was last in O.C., to headline Honda Center. But he already has plans for an encore visit, this time at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine on Aug. 26.

As in Anaheim, big man Rick Ross will serve as second in command, but the rest of Weezy's openers have changed -- instead of Nicki Minaj and Travis Barker, the Irvine stop will get Southern R&B star Keri Hilson, Asian American outfit Far East Movement, and tenacious Lloyd, whose fourth album, King of Hearts, arrived this week.

Tickets, $23.75-$93.75, go on sale Saturday, July 9, at 10 a.m., with a pre-sale running from Thursday at 10 a.m. until Friday at 10 p.m. (Catch Lil Wayne and his entourage a day ahead, on Aug. 25, at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, $29.75-$89.75.)

We opted not to bother reviewing. That would be as useful as critiquing the American Music Awards. What's the point, especially since Wango sets aren't much longer than AMA appearances?

But celebrity photo hounds were out in force, of course, capturing arrivals along with performances. And be honest: pics are all you care about anyway. We gathered up some of the best, plus a couple dozen of our own fan shots, for this slide show.

The Knitters -- This long-running (if on-again-of-again) country project -- involving three-fourths of X (vocalists Exene Cervenka and John Doe and drummer DJ Bonebrake) plus guitarist Dave Alvin and bassist Jonny Ray Bartel -- is back again, this time to play Saturday night at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano (33157 Camino Capistrano) and Sunday at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach (143 S. Cedros Ave.) Both shows have notable openers: the O.C. date includes a set from one of the unsung best in current Americana, Fountain Valley singer-songwriter Michael Ubaldini, while the San Diego show boasts a warm-up turn from new group He's My Brother, She's My Sister. Tickets are $23 for the Coach House, $20 in advance or $22 day of show for the Belly Up. 949-496-8930, thecoachhouse.com or ticketmaster.com , 858-481-8140 or bellyup.com.

The Kills -- Their show Friday night with Cold Cave at the Music Box in Hollywood is sold out, but at press time tickets were still available to see Saturday's encore performance from the kinetic English duo of Alison Mosshart (left) and Jamie Hince at the Fox Theater in Pomona (301 S. Garey Ave.), as they tour behind their fourth album, Blood Pressures. Tickets are $22.50. More reason to choose this gig: not only is Cold Cave opening, but also excellent psychedelic-rock outfit the Black Angels. (See that group in headlining turns, by the way, Sunday night at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, $20, Monday at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, $15 in advance or $17 day of show, and Tuesday night at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, $16.) 800-745-3000. ticketmaster.com, goldenvoice.com

Zac Brown Band -- The relatively rapid ascent of this country jam sextet from struggling Southern act to platinum-plated, Grammy-grabbing sensation continues as the group arrives Saturday night for its debut at the Hollywood Bowl, 1735 N. Highland Ave. Also catch this tour behind ZBB's second major-label album, the September release You Get What You Give, Friday night at Santa Barbara Bowl, 1122 N. Milpas St. Reason to show up early: Blackberry Smoke, an exceptional new Southern-rock outfit in the vein of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Black Crowes, will open. Also note earlier-than-usual start times to ensure both shows meet curfew: 6 tonight, 7 on Saturday. Tickets are $34-$75 for Santa Barbara, $23.50-$95 for Hollywood. 800-745-3000. ticketmaster.com, hollywoodbowl.com, nederlander.com

Gipsy Kings -- They'll be back in August for two nights at the Greek, but local fans should relish the chance to see these French/Spanish masters of modern flamenco pop in smaller venues next week, Wednesday at City National Grove of Anaheim (2200 E. Katella Ave.) and Thursday at the even more intimate Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach (143 S. Cedros Ave.). Granted, up-close opportunities like this don't come cheap: tickets are $74.50-$97.50 for the Grove and $125 for the Belly Up. 714-712-2700, citynationalgroveofanaheim.com or ticketmaster.com for the former, 858-481-8140 or bellyup.com for the latter.

Ryan Seacrest's faithful listeners found out first thing this morning, but in case you haven't heard, the next Wango Tango, KIIS/102.7 FM's annual poptopia, will take place May 14 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, with Ke$ha (right) capping the lineup and Britney Spears expected to make a guest-host appearance.

As usual, online-only tickets for Wango Tango will go on sale to KIIS Club VIP participants first, on Friday, April 1, at 10 a.m. (Click here to become a member and receive a link and password to the pre-sale.) Any remaining tickets will go on sale to the public Saturday at 10 a.m. Prices range from $45 to $215.

Photo, from New Year's Eve in Times Square, by Astrid Stawiarz, Getty Images.

January 19th, 2011, 11:16 pm by DAVID HALL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Well, the Coachella lineup has been revealed, and though the rumor has persisted every year since a one-off reunion in 2007, Led Zeppelin is not among the many reputed artists slated for the annual desert fest. (Maybe it's time to adopt a new dream band?)

But die-hard fans of the legendary group might find consolation in the news that Robert Plant will appear just days after the big Indio bash, returning to the Greek Theatre on April 23, with a second West Coast show booked at Santa Barbara Bowl on April 25. Plant's performances will support his latest Grammy-nominated solo release, Band of Joy. Tickets for the Greek show, $40-$95, go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m., while the Bowl gig goes on sale an hour later, $43-$73.

Up for grabs right now: a second night -- following a sold-out April 14 show -- of Janet Jackson's Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Tour, April 15 at Gibson Amphitheatre. Tickets, including fees, are $62.50-$276.

A few months later at that Universal CityWalk venue, Rush returns for two nights, June 20 and 22, on the 2011 leg of the Canadian trio's Time Machine Tour. Once again, 1981's Moving Pictures will be played in its entirety, along with a separate set of classics. Tickets, $83.70-$180, are on sale Monday at 10 a.m.

Earlier today pop star Katy Perry announced North American dates for her California Dreams Tour, which kicks off June 7 in Atlanta and ends with a two-night (Aug. 13-14) homecoming stand at Santa Barbara Bowl. Just before that, on Aug. 5, she'll give her first full-length performance (not just a radio-show appearance) at Nokia Theatre. Check back for on-sale details.